Technology for school kids

[PrincessFiona]

I'm putting this in the debate forum because I'm sure there are people who will disagree with me ...

Our high school is now requiring kids to 'rent' a macbook air for the year. We have to pay a $100/family fee for 2 kids and we are responsible if the devices (we get 2) are lost or damaged. Awesome <sarcasm>. There is software set up on the computer system at school so that kids can't go to inappropriate websites. Their macbooks are tracked and a report is filed if they wander onto a site that is considered off limits by the district. At home, we are responsible for establishing some sort of parental controls.

I have a couple of thoughts.

1. My husband is a doctor and I don't have a macbook air. My laptop is not that expensive. Why should my child have access to this computer?
2. We have limited our kid' computer access for a reason. I especially don't want Amanda to have a laptop that she can run around and play on FB on ... I hate the idea that both of them can now make the excuse that they have to be on their laptop because their assignments have to be submitted through the software on them. Kids will have access to FB, etc. btw. One more thing for me to police. sigh.
3. I don't think that anyone living in our community lacks access to a computer. Most of the people that we know have at least 2 computers in their homes. There is no need for this to engage in what the district calls "full access". I could support paying for computers in the library for those who need access at school because they don't have access at home .... but seriously .... who is paying for students to have mac book air laptops for all 9-12 students? We are with the tax levy. It burns me up. This feels like another distraction the kids will have.

My kids have been able to access schoology and the school website for years without needing their own school laptop.

So tell me ... why is this possibly a good thing? Why are my kids entitled to a more expensive computer than me? Why as a mom am I forced to participate in a program that will likely end in my shoveling out $ for a broken or lost laptop? Where are my parental rights to choose how much access my kids have to technology?

Grrr.

Kris

[SuzySunshine]

I don't have an opinion on whether or not they need them but I do like our school's insurance policy. The school got a ton of iPads this year and we had to sign a form saying we were responsible for the $50 insurance deductible if our child broke one.

[mommax3]

I agree with you. Kids at our high school have ipads....this is the third year for the program. We don't pay anything for them (grant money), but we are responsible if anything happens to them. In the meantime.....the middle school kids' textbooks are old, outdated, and not matched to standards (they're also falling apart). The decision has been made not to replace them because "we will be moving to ebooks". It is extremely frustrating and I think it is an educational fad.

[PrincessFiona]

Sally, how do you feel about e-books? Do you think your kids are more likely to read textbooks via an e-book?
My kids are internet savvy, but they are less inclined to read Kindle versions of books than to read the actual book....as am I. I agree that this is an educational trend.

kris

[Pollyanna]

It is spending like this that makes me vote "no" on every single school bond proposition that comes along. The school spent over $1mill for laptops, are you f-ing kidding me? I'd be pissed, I'm pissed on your behalf as a matter of fact (can you tell).
I do not think the laptops will enhance their education in any way to be honest. I think in many cases all this technology slows the learning down because it breaks, or the teacher isn't fully up to speed, or the wifi is down. Honestly, paper and a pen people!
I am all about being up to date on technology but many times schools get ahead of themselves in an effort to be forward thinking. Dd11 used to take spelling tests on a computer. When a word was spelled wrong the magical red line showed up. The teacher just said, oh well, consider it a hint. I've had kids waste entire periods because the technology wasn't working so the teacher couldn't proceed with the lesson.
I'm also in agreement on the fad of e books. My older kids want nothing to do with them and I wouldn't either.

[peggyfromwastate]

I would hate ebook versions of textbooks. Very difficult to deal with.

[MrsK]

Funny, this same debate was going on with regard to my law school 15 years ago. Some administration wanted to do away with text books and require students to bring laptops to class. This was before ebooks and tablets. Personally, I am old fashioned and learn better if I handwrite notes, highlight and scribble in margins. The tactical experience engages me while ebooks use fewer senses.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[Sheherezade]

My 14 year old is completely converted to her kindle Paperwhite. If you read the Kindle thread on here, some of our adult members are too. I'd personally welcome the change over to e versions. Less weight in the backpacks so the kids can walk and only one copy to buy and they both could annotate. There are some cool ways to do discussions as well - using locally sourced annotations to pull up a classroom worth of comments to the teachers Smartboard. Sadly, this is the one tech innovation our district is dragging its feet on. Lol

We are probably going to have 1:1 chromebooks eventually. My kids will be done by then. I'm kind of glad we've been slow on this so the other districts work out the bugs.

[WolfpackWife]

Kris - I'm curious...if this is mandatory, what are the assistance plans - if any - in place for families who can't afford the fee for the rental/insurance of the Macbooks? I'm just wondering. It seems like funding is very poorly utilized in public education - at least it is in NC. You should hear the outrage coming from teachers and parents of NC public school teachers - the cuts that have been made are very saddening and granted, I have no idea if this Macbook requirement uses any tax money or other funding for the school system but if it does - even a little - wouldn't it be better used elsewhere and just keep with the age old tradition of textbooks?

[SoonerTexan]

My sister (10th grade) is getting her iPad this year or next, I believe. It's crazy to think I was at the same school not that long ago and only a handful of teachers were using any kind of online teaching tool.

On one hand, I think it could be cool. On the other, I think it could be a huge time waster. I loved having my laptop with me in class in college. I totally used it to take notes. But let's be honest, I also used it to troll Facebook, email, etc. when the lectures got boring. The professors knew for the most part. I remember one (IT haha) class where a bunch of us took the same Facebook quiz because we were all Facebook friends and it popped up all over our newsfeeds. I believe 5-6 of us took it and the teacher knew, and asked what quiz it was. She wasn't even mad...

My first reaction is: What an IT nightmare.

ETA: I think paper textbooks are important. The ability to physically highlight books in college helped me learn. And as someone who stares at a screen 8+ hours a day, I can tell you it isn't a good thing.

[HouseofWool]

I cannot imagine learning any sort of hard science from an ebook. I always have multiple pages flagged and like to look at the diagrams while reading about a topic.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

The school I used to work at just started a 1:1 program with iPads. I'll have to talk to my friends and see how it's going.

My only (sleep-deprived) thought is how this changes/removes the ability of parents to have their kids "go Amish"...


Wife of a PGY-4 Orthopod

[houseelf]

ITA with Tara/Kris/Sally. I fundamentally understand that our children's entire careers will be embedded in technology and therefore they need have access to a wide variety of various of tech. Nonetheless, kids already have substantial access without this sort of crazed overspending and/or demanding more from already strapped parents. What is the shelf life for new tech? 3-4 years? We're all going to be asked to pony up more cash to fund the newest, latest , greatest "wave of the future". Again. and again. There is ZERO sustainability or long term fiscal planning. Enough will NEVER be enough.

You know what happened when I cracked my iPad? I didn't go out to buy another one. It wasn't in the budget. My two older kids have each cracked their iPods. They didn't get replaced. One waited 9 months to save up the money to replace it on his own and the other uses hers with a cracked screen. Heck, I only have an iPad because it was paid for through a professional expense account. Call me crazy, if we can't fund it, we generally don't buy it.

Hell, because I'm getting started, I'm gonna "go there". Back up and give me some room, I'm climbing up onto my soap box.


I live in an affluent suburb, with correspondingly ridiculous city, personal, and school taxes. In addition to that, the PSA donates 150- 200K per year to fund everything from tympany drums to grants for the French club to go to Quebec. Then there is the NFP to fund lacrosse and golf which wasn't funded in the budget. Buses cost $300/child, school fees upwards of $100/per child, and supplemental fees for field trips. Yesterday I learned that my child enjoys being able to buy Panera sandwiches and Arnold Palmer teas at lunch. "You know, Mom, Panera IS a healthy option, I thought you would be pleased." I think I ate a peanut butter bagel yesterday at lunch. There are ALWAYS requests for kleenex, sharpies, etc. In fact, now we get email notifications regarding different donation projects teachers have put online. I feel for the teachers, but oh-holy-mother of a sheep, is anyone else feeling donor fatigue?

All of this side stuff masks the true cost of education. No one *really* knows what it costs to educate a student in an affluent district because there are all these secret pots of money. It jacks up the statistics of true costs of education and then the impoverished schools really get screwed.

We're 1%-ers and I find this to be excessive. WTH? Look, no one supports education and experiences more than me. I want my kids to travel, go to camp, and and have myriad experiences in their life time. Equally important to me is I want them to learn how to budget, learn delayed gratification, make due without all the bells and whistles. WTF are we teaching our kids? If it is out there you HAVE to have it? You deserve it just because?

It is exceedingly unpopular to voice fiscal concerns like these. The machine keeps rolling on and it quite simply is not sustainable.

/end soapbox

[Pollyanna]

Make room Kelly, I need to get on the soap box with you!

You are absolutely correct, it is unsustainable. Something has got to give. Pen, paper, books, chalkboards, those are sustainable, at this point technology is not. Like ST said, its an IT nightmare. Sitting in on school district meetings made me keenly aware of the waste. Wanna become dissolutioned? Get overly involved in your school system. Familiarity does indeed breed contempt.
There seems to be very little thought put into adding technology into the classrooms beside, "how can we get the parents/taxpayers to foot the bill"? And Kelly is so right that it is exceedingly unpopular to voice these concerns. Hell, try to suggest a cupcake, juice, and a game of kickball for a class party and listen to the gasps from parents.
There is a tipping point and I hope we have enough parents willing to stand up and say, "enough".

[spotty_dog]

We're 1%-ers and I find this to be excessive.

We're only 3%-ers and I am right there with you. I could NOT afford a Macbook on our budget, nor an iPad, and I refuse to believe that such insanely high priced objects are or ever will be educational necessities.

We are NOT in an affluent district, and when these insidious little costs keep coming up, I look at our neighbors and friends and think, what does this mean to them? Is it fair that A's Daddy the Applebees cook should have to work an extra 10-hour shift to pay for just the fee for the school supplies? The answer is NO effing way. And if A can't afford it, then we need to find a way to make the curriculum solid without it. I know it is possible.

I'm keeping homeschool an option, I always have, so I've been looking in to curriculum options to know how they compare as DS starts school. Do you know what I could GET with the cost of a Macbook? Rigorous, engaging, unique curriculum in every subject, plus probably some left over.

I was reading Parenting magazine in a waiting room and it gave advice on how to handle your 10-year-old texting girls but not speaking to them and your 6-year-old only unplugging from technology when he goes to bed. Say WHAT? Not in my house. NEVER in my house. Yesterday my 6yo probably had 15 minutes on the iPad, 20-30 minutes on the Kindle, and nearly an hour watching videos. It was a VERY high-screen-time day for our family, and I will probably cut that down to ZERO today to compensate.

I would decline the laptop, to be honest. Of course, that's easy to say when I'm sitting here with a first grader in a non-MN school district (you guys take school seriously and it shows in your test scores!) But still. I can dream! There I go, my dream-self putting my foot DOWN! LOL.